Maintenon's Aqueduct

The famed watergardens at Louis XIV's Château de Versailles required vast amounts of water. The springs nearby proved insufficient, so engineers hatched the idea to transport water from the River Eure beside the Château de Maintenon.

Work began in 1684 on canals and an aqueduct, but was halted in 1689 as war broke out. The majestic aqueduct was never completed, but the king offered it to Mme de Maintenon as compensation for the disruption caused around her castle.